The Dugu Family's Curse

Dugu Bo first took Dugu Yan to their home in Heaven Dou City and instructed the servants to take good care of her.

If Dugu Yan woke up, they were to let her return to Heaven Dou Royal Academy first and not concern herself with anything else.

Then he brought Xing Tian to Sunset Forest. They went deep into the forest without exchanging a single word, until they arrived before a stretch of dense purple fog.

Dugu Bo finally spoke. "This poisonous fog is a poison formation I set up. My secluded dwelling lies beyond it. Even a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast wouldn't dare cross this line."

A blue leather pouch, only about as big as two adult palms, hung from the sort of belt pouch. Though much larger than a sachet, it was still only big enough for one hand to reach inside.

As he spoke, Dugu Bo took a porcelain bottle from the blue pouch hanging at his waist. It was even larger than the pouch. He poured out a pill.

Xing Tian soon realized that Dugu Bo's pouch was also a Storage Soul Tool, though he didn't know how its quality compared to the bracer-type Storage Soul Tool Ye Renxin had given him.

Dugu Bo handed Xing Tian the pill. "This is a Detoxification Pill. You can safely enter the poison formation after taking it. Its effects will last for a day."

Xing Tian didn't suspect anything. He held the pill in his mouth, savored it carefully, then swallowed it and followed Dugu Bo into the poison formation.

As Xing Tian felt the poison formation's intricacies, he realized Dugu Bo hadn't exaggerated.

Forget a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast—even a forty-thousand-year Soul Beast would most likely die there.

As for a Soul Master, anyone below Soul Saint rank would start convulsing all over and suffer withered meridians after an hour in the formation, then die. Their corpse would dissolve into a pool of slime within minutes, becoming nourishment for the poison formation.

Even a Soul Saint would struggle to last long without a way to neutralize the poison. They also couldn't stop it from invading their body; only a Soul Douluo could forcibly drive out the toxins.

After passing through the poison formation, the two arrived at the foot of a mountain.

Dugu Bo casually waved his right hand. A three-meter-tall boulder before them was enveloped in a streak of emerald light, then moved toward the direction of his gesture. An entrance to a cave appeared in view.

The two entered the cave. Dugu Bo waved his hand again, and the boulder sealed the entrance once more. The cave was pitch-black; with his naked eyes, Xing Tian could only see the green glow in Dugu Bo's eyes.

Dugu Bo waved his hand once more, and a ring of emerald-green flames suddenly blazed around them.

In the green firelight, Xing Tian could finally see that he was in a cavern nearly a thousand square meters in size.

Dugu Bo said coldly, "Say whatever you want to say."

Xing Tian spoke solemnly. "Senior Dugu, you and Sister Yan are both poisoned, aren't you?"

Dugu Bo's eyes narrowed. "What did you say?"

Xing Tian continued, "Actually, I suspected it from the first time I saw you. Your hair, eyes, complexion, scent, and footsteps were all strange."

"But I thought it was normal for a poison master to be poisoned. Even if you were poisoned, it wouldn't really affect you."

"But there were simply too many strange things about you. At the time, I wasn't close to you, and you're a Titled Douluo, someone whose realm is beyond my reach. I thought it might be some kind of secret technique, so I didn't say anything."

"But Sister Yan's transformation today made me suspicious again. So I used a drop of her blood to examine her carefully, and finally confirmed my guess."

"Whenever it's overcast and raining, do you feel an itchy, numb sensation around both your ribs that gradually grows stronger? Does it flare up once at noon and again at midnight, lasting at least an hour each time?"

"And around the third watch, deep in the night, do you feel needle-like pain in the crown of your head and the soles of your feet? Does your whole body convulse for at least half an hour?"

"You're not only poisoned; the poison has entered your very bones. It's not something Soul Power can suppress. I can't imagine how you've managed to endure it."

"As for Sister Yan, this should be her first attack, but her underlying problem is more serious. She's been poisoned since she was in her mother's womb, so her attacks will only grow more severe."

Dugu Bo could no longer hold back his shock and blurted out, "How do you know?"

Dugu Bo had guessed that Xing Tian had realized he and Dugu Yan were poisoned, but he hadn't expected Xing Tian to describe it in such detail—as if he'd witnessed it himself.

This was Dugu Bo's greatest secret. Even Dugu Yan didn't know.

For a brief moment, murderous intent even flickered in Dugu Bo's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.

Dugu Bo sank helplessly onto a rock and lifted his head slightly, tears in his eyes. Even Xing Tian, who had witnessed life and death countless times, was moved by the sight.

At that moment, Dugu Bo no longer seemed like the Jade Phosphorus Douluo who dominated the world with poison. He looked like a frail old man nearing death, powerless to save his own kin.

It took Dugu Bo a long time to calm himself. "This is the Dugu Family's curse. The Jade Phosphorus Serpent Poison is far too domineering. Every time a Soul Ring is added, it combines with the ring's Poison-type attribute to form a mixed poison, causing its potency to multiply geometrically. Then our ancestral poison cultivation method stirs it up, until the damage becomes irreversible."

"My father died because of it. My wife also died in childbirth after living with me for so long. My son and daughter-in-law died young for the same reason. And now even Yanyan is starting to suffer."

Suddenly, Dugu Bo's jealousy burned hot. "This is all your fault!"

"Huh? My fault? Why?" Xing Tian looked utterly wronged.

Dugu Bo snapped, "Yanyan was a bit lazy by nature and didn't care much for cultivation. She wasn't even interested in poison techniques. The reason I didn't make strict demands of her was that I hoped to delay the onset of her poison."

"Under the circumstances, Yanyan wasn't expected to suffer her first attack until she reached Soul Elder rank, and it certainly wouldn't have been as severe as today's."

"But ever since her first spar with you, her temperament changed completely. She started training hard, coming into contact with more and more poisons, and even asked me to teach her poison techniques. I didn't dare tell her the secret, so I could only let her have her way."

"That's why Yanyan's first attack came so soon—and hit so hard!"

"Tell me, isn't this your fault?"

Dugu Bo raged, "If you hadn't shown up, Yanyan could have stayed with me for a few more years. I might even have lived to see her marry and have children! And now look what you've done to the old man!"

Dugu Bo gave Xing Tian such a furious tongue-lashing that he was at a loss for words, forgetting even to argue back.

Then Dugu Bo suddenly said, "You brat, you have to take responsibility for Yanyan!"

Xing Tian snapped back to his senses. "What?"

Before Xing Tian could say anything more, Dugu Bo took the initiative. "What? Yanyan is as beautiful as a flower, and I'm a Titled Douluo. You're still not willing?"

"No. It's..."

"What do you mean, 'it's'? I don't care about that. All I know is that Yanyan likes you, you made things worse, and your body is strong enough not to be affected by the poison in her body. So you have to take responsibility for Yanyan. Still, I won't stop you from finding a few women later!"